St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-06-25
LONDON LETTER.
URRENT TOPICS OF INTEREST IN
THE ENGLISH METROPOLIS.
\ Surfeit of Jubilee Enterprises---The
Boredom and Vanity of Presentation
to the Queen--Amateur Coaching on the
Decline--New Employments for Women.
rSpscial Correspondence

Decline--New Employments for Women.
Especial Cosrsspondence.l
LONDON, May 3O.-Londoners are just
now emerging from the horrors of spring
cleaning to enter upon the throes OF
preparation for the Queens jubilee"
Nearly every mans domestic arrange
ments are undergoing the annual dis
turbances which mater considers neces-
sary to maintain the health and cleanll-
ness of the household. Pater escapes
the invasion of whitewashers, chimney
sweeps and charwomen by staying later
than usual at his club, or by paying sur
reptitious visits to the Alhambra ballet
or the Canterbury Nusic-hall. How
MANY other husbands one finds at these
places of amusement, under similar
excuses, it would ill become me to tell.
But the nuisance of spring cleaning falls
far short, in the eyes of many, of the
nuisance of this royal jubilee. OF
course, everybody is glad that the Queen
is to have big celebration. England
never had a more constitutional SOW
ereign. Thanks to her late husbands
influence, the court, in this Victorian
era. has been purged of the I'M
wholesome influences which surrounded
George " and William ". AS a
mother and woman, the Queen has
set splendid example to her subjects,
but there are phases connected with
the coming jubilee which are decidedly
irritating. I do not refer to such big
things as the naval review, the military
parades, the jubilee exhibition, or the
feeding Of the poor, and the stuf1ng of
$4,000 school children with buns and
milk. All these are very proper objects.
Military demonstrations without blood
shed are cheap glory; and buns and milk
are easily digested and very filling at a
small expenditure. But what vexes the
placid minds of most of us is the vulgar
fashion in which this great incident in
the history of our reigning family is be-
ing turned to purposes of advertising.
Our street-walls and our newspapers are
full of advertisements respecting Jubilee
teas" Jubilee candles" Jubilee soaps"
Jubilee Shoes" "jubilee brooches" and
the other day read of Jubilee butter,
tenpence pound" Some Jubilee lolly-
pops (sweets), at penny per pound"
nearly poisoned half streetful of chill
dren in South London last week, but even
if all had disappeared I suppose their
places would have been refilled by the
jubilee babies.
The Queen is taking great personal in
terest in our jubilee preparations. She
is holding more drawing-rooms and
issuing more invitations to them than
usual True, she cannot bear the fatigue
of standing five or six hours, and after
forty or fifty minutes she generally
leaves the throne room, the Prince and
Princess acting for her. What vain
and disappointing show these drawing
rooms are! The lady, or her suffering
husband, spends from f4O to ESQ upon
a dress, with train four yards % long,
bouquet eighteen inches across, and fan
as big as half parasol. The hair
must be dressed with three ostrich
feathers-that Is as imperative as
gentleman's swallowtail for an even
ing suit. After bedecking herself in
the family jewels-if there are any-or
in borrowed gems from the pawnbrokers,
the lady drives in the family coach or a
neat hired brougham to the royal palace.
She is there nshered into suite OF
rooms where there are from 200 to 400
other ladies. These struggle as only
ladies can for priority of exit to the
royal ante-room. Many beautiful train
and flounce has come to grief in that
grand crush which can only be COM
pared to the crowd round the door OF
theatre. Up to the ante-room the lady
has carried her train across her arm,
managing her large fan and larger bou-
quet as best she can. At the ante-room
the train is allowed to drop to its place,
and from the tail end thereof to the
lady's head Is some twelve or seventeen
feet! Her name is announced by
the lord chamberlain, she moves
before the Queen, bows as she
passes, and backs out of the room as
gracefully as she can. If she is clever
woman she manages her train dexter
ously; If, as often happens, she becomes
entangled In the taH-plece, half dozen
willing hands, called "silversticks" and
lords-in-Waiting, hurry to her assistance
She ultimately energies from the royal
presence hot, excited, often vexed with
her failure to manage that awkward train,
or for bungling with the bouquet or the
fan, and nearly always disappointed at
the glimpse she has caught of her sover-
ign's face. And how many thousands of
women scheme, conspire. coax and tell
lies white ones) to 60 through this hol-
low and vexatious ordeal
When Buffalo Bill obtained the patron
age of royalty to his Wild West Show he
did a good stroke of business. After the
Queen and Prince of Wales had visited
his exhibition, examined his encamp-
ments and stables, talked to 'sRcd Shirt"
and the squaws, and been generally
gracious all round, the fashionable world
looked kindly on Buffalo Bill. On the
opening day of the Four-in- Hand Club
he was to be seen on the box of Lord G.
Beresford's coach, and the aristocracy, as
well as the multitude, now 60 daily to his
show. Fancy the Astors or any other of
the coaching swells in the States giving